Graduated filter

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide a filter including a membrane adapted to hold a material to be filtered and adapted to allow a filtrate to pass through. The membrane includes an indicator adapted to indicate a quantity of the material to be placed in the filter.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field of filters, and more specifically, to a filter having one or more indicators thereon as an aid to filling the filter with a predetermined amount of material to be filtered.

BACKGROUND

Beverage filters, for example, coffee filters, are known, and typically include a membrane such as a paper, a cloth, or a mesh adapted to hold a material to be filtered but which allow a filtrate to pass through upon adding a liquid, such as hot water. Typically, as in the case of making a coffee beverage, when a selected amount of coffee beverage is desired, a corresponding amount of coffee grounds is required to be placed in the filter. The amount of coffee grounds is typically quantified as a predetermined number of scoops or spoonfuls. Sometimes, while in the process of making coffee, a person may lose count of the number of scoops, or spoonfuls, of coffee grounds placed into the filter, and either have to start over again or risk making a stronger or weaker beverage (e.g. coffee) than desired. In addition, some people, when making coffee do not have the time, or the patience, to carefully fill each scoop or spoonful to the proper level, and/or count the proper number of scoops or spoonfuls dumped into the filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a filter in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the filter illustrated in FIG. 1A, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 1C illustrates a top view of the filter illustrated in FIG. 1A, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a filter in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a filter in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4A illustrates a top view of a filter in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4B illustrates a front view of the filter in FIG. 4A in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the filter in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments in accordance with the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments of the present invention; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.

The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of embodiments of the present invention.

For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “A/B” means A or B. For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “A and/or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” means “(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).” For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “(A)B” means “(B) or (AB),” that is, A is an optional element.

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present invention, are synonymous.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are respective front, perspective, and top front views of a filter 10 illustrating various embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 1A filter 10 is illustrated in a first configuration 12. In FIGS. 1B and 1C the filter 10 is illustrated in a second configuration 14. The filter 10 may include a membrane 16 adapted to hold a material (not shown) to be filtered, and may be adapted to allow a filtrate (not shown) to pass through. The filter 10 may also include an indicator 18 on the membrane adapted to indicate a quantity of the material to be placed in the filter 10. Various embodiments may include one or more indicators. The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C may include multiple indicators, for example, indicators 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28, respectively, adapted to indicate quantities of, for example, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 unit measures of a quantity of the material to be placed in the filter 10, such as volume, weight, or other quantities. For example 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 scoops or spoonfuls of material, or cups of coffee. The filter 10 may include labels 30 at or near each of the indicators 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 to identify the respective quantities. The indicators 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 may be, for example, one or more of printed, embossed, silk-screened, stained, or the like onto the membrane 16. Various embodiments may have additional labels 32 arranged to be readable from a number of orientations and/or sides. The labels 30 and/or 32, if present, may be one or more of printed, embossed, silk-screened, or stained onto the membrane. Various embodiments may use only labels as indicators. Other embodiments may have short lines on one or both sides of the labels as one or more indicators.

In various embodiments the material may be, for example, coffee grounds and the filtrate may be coffee, and the filter 10 may be a coffee filter having a sidewall 17 and one or more indicators 18 on the sidewall 17 may be adapted to indicate one or more predetermined quantities of coffee grounds substantially corresponding to one or more predetermined quantities of a coffee product.

The filter may be of a variety of shapes and sizes, including funnel, flat bottom, pleated, wrap-around, and the like. The filter may be made, for example, from paper. In one embodiment, the filter 10 may be adapted to have a first configuration 12 as mentioned, and as illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein the filter 10 is flat or folded, and may be used when the filter is stored or being shipped. Also, as mentioned, and as illustrated in FIG. 1B the filter 10 may have a second configuration 14 wherein the filter approximates a cone or funnel shape. The filter 10 may be made from a single membrane sheet folded and closed at a bottom 11 and at a side 13 with a seal 15. The indicators 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 may be adapted to be generally horizontal when the filter 10 is in the second configuration 14 or a filtering position 14. The indicators 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 may be, for example, a line. The line may be continuous as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, or discontinuous.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a filter 110 according to various embodiments of the invention. The example embodiments illustrate multiple indicators 118 comprising lines which may be discontinuous.

FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating various embodiments in accordance with the invention. A filter 210 may include a membrane 216 adapted to have multiple indicators 218 comprising bands 219 of different value. For example, they may be bands of differing grey values, or of differing colors. The indicators 218 may have alternating bands 219 of relatively darker and lighter values.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respective top and side views illustrating various embodiments in accordance with the invention. A filter 310 may be a type of filter that may be referred to as a basket filter. The filter 310 may be a paper filter or a cloth filter. The filter 310 may include a membrane 316, and a side wall 317, and one or more indicators 318. The indicators may be lines 318 adapted to be generally horizontal when the filter 310 is in a filtering position 314 as may be best illustrated in FIG. 4B. The one or more indicators 318 may be marked on the membrane 316 using various techniques, the techniques may be selected from the group consisting of printed, embossed, silk-screened, stained, and the like. Various embodiments may mark the membrane using other techniques.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating various embodiments in accordance with the invention. A filter 410 may be a reusable type of filter that may be referred to, for example, as having one of the following filter characteristics: mesh, metal mesh, gold plated, gold tone, and stainless steel. In various embodiments the filter may be of a type referred to as one or more of the following: Swiss gold, gold tone, and gold screen. The filter 410 may include a membrane 416, and a side wall 417, and one or more indicators 418. The indicators may be lines 418 adapted to be generally horizontal when the filter 410 is in a filtering position. The indicators may be, for example, embossed into the mesh material. Other marking techniques may be used such as those discussed, or others. The filter 410 may be shaped similar to a funnel-type filter. Various other embodiments may be configured in other shapes.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The method may include:

marking a membrane with one or more indicators substantially corresponding to a quantity of a material to be filtered to yield a filtrate product, 500; and

forming the membrane into a shape adapted to hold the material to be filtered, 502.

The method illustrated in FIG. 6 may be conducted in any order, for example, the forming may take place before the marking, or the marking may take place before the forming. In other embodiments the marking and forming may be conducted concurrently. The method may further comprise cutting a membrane sheet into a shape adapted to hold the material to be filtered. The cutting and marking may be conducted in any order, or may be conducted concurrently. The marking may include, but may not be limited to, one of printing, embossing, silk-screening, and staining.

In various embodiments the one or more indicators may includes multiple indicators and may comprise bands of different value. For example, they may be bands of differing grey values, or of different colors. In other example embodiments, one or more indicators may be multiple indicators comprising alternating bands of relatively darker and lighter value.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The method may include:

placing an amount of a material to be filtered into a membrane, 504; and

determining or adjusting the amount based on the proximity of a top surface of the amount relative to an indicator visible on the membrane, 506.

The material that may be used in the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 7 may include coffee grounds. The various embodiments may further include effecting water to pass through the coffee grounds to make a coffee beverage. For example, an automated dispensing of water, for example, hot water, may be effected to pass through the coffee grounds. Or water may be manually poured into the filter onto the coffee grounds.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance with the present invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof. 

1. A filter comprising: a membrane adapted to hold a material to be filtered and adapted to allow a filtrate to pass through; and an indicator on the membrane adapted to indicate a quantity of the material to be placed in the filter.
 2. The filter of claim 1 wherein the indicator is one selected from the group consisting of: printed, embossed, silk-screened, and stained.
 3. The filter of claim 1 wherein the material is coffee grounds and the filtrate is coffee.
 4. The filter of claim 1 wherein the indicator is a line adapted to be generally horizontal when the filter is in a filtering position.
 5. The filter of claim 4 wherein the line is one of continuous or discontinuous.
 6. The filter of claim 1 wherein the indicator includes multiple indicators comprising bands of different value.
 7. The filter of claim 1 wherein the indicator includes multiple indicators comprising alternating bands of relatively darker and lighter values.
 8. The filter of claim 1 wherein the indicators are labels indicating the quantity of material.
 9. The filter of claim 1 further comprising labels corresponding with the indicators.
 10. The filter of claim 1 wherein the filter is a coffee filter and the membrane is one or more selected from the group consisting of: paper; cloth; mesh; metal mesh; gold plated; and stainless steel.
 11. The filter of claim 1 wherein the filter is a coffee filter and is one or more of a type selected from the group consisting of: cone; funnel; gold tone; Swiss gold; wrap-around coffee sock; and basket.
 12. A coffee filter comprising: a sidewall; and one or more indicators on the sidewall adapted to indicate one or more predetermined quantities of coffee grounds substantially corresponding to one or more predetermined quantities of a coffee product.
 13. The coffee filter of claim 12 wherein the one or more indicators are selected from the group consisting of printed, embossed, silk-screened, and stained.
 14. The coffee filter of claim 12 wherein the one or more indicators are lines adapted to be generally horizontal when the filter is in a filtering position.
 15. The coffee filter of claim 14 wherein the lines are one of continuous or discontinuous.
 16. The coffee filter of claim 12 wherein the coffee filter is one or more of a type selected from the group consisting of: paper; cloth; wrap-around gold tone; Swiss gold; cone funnel; coffee sock; and basket.
 17. A filter making method comprising: marking a membrane with one or more indicators substantially corresponding to a quantity of a material to be filtered to yield a filtrate product; and forming the membrane into a shape adapted to hold the material to be filtered.
 18. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the forming takes place before the marking.
 19. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the forming and the marking take place substantially concurrently.
 20. The filter making method of claim 17 further comprising cutting a membrane sheet into a shape adapted for the forming the membrane into a shape adapted to hold the material to be filtered.
 21. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the marking includes one of printing, embossing, silk-screening, and staining.
 22. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the material is coffee grounds and the filtrate product is coffee.
 23. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the one or more indicators are lines adapted to be generally horizontal when the filter is in a filtering position.
 24. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the lines are one of continuous or discontinuous.
 25. The filter making method of claim 17 wherein the one or more indicators includes multiple indicators comprising bands of different value.
 26. A method comprising: placing an amount of a material to be filtered into a membrane; and determining or adjusting the amount base on the proximity of a top surface of the amount relative to an indicator visible on the membrane.
 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the material is coffee grounds and further comprising effecting water to pass through the coffee grounds to make a coffee beverage. 